I Win
by DarlingNamine
Summary: A story of romance between two manipulative Nobodies. Is this all just a game of manipulation, or a way to bring two star-crossed lovers together? AxelxNamine. Lemon to be expected.
1. Prologue

Finally! The prologue of the story I've been working so darn hard on...  
So, this is a story that came out of nowhere. Got the idea when I was falling asleep, one night, and that meant I had to GET UP AGAIN and write it down, or I'd forget by morning. And I thought it was awesome when I woke up. xD

**SONG:** Legion of Doom - Destroy All Vampires

**DISCLAIMER: ** I don't own the characters of this story, nor do I own the Kingdom Hearts series. This story is PURELY fan-made. :D

* * *

Alone, she sat; once again in the white chair of her own little sanctuary in that castle's white room. This young, canary blond girl passed the time by drawing in her sketchbook, her invisible heart broke with every line and color as she stared down at the figure resembling her only love as a heartless naught; Organization's number VI, Zexion.

Their break-up was abrupt, but the blond didn't seem to cut the mustard, so to speak. The revival of the fourteenth nobody had gotten Zexion so wrapped up in his crush on her that he'd cast Naminé aside at the slightest chance to date Xion. That blue-haired beauty. She looked just like Kairi, their perfect other half… Though Naminé's existence, and her entire life, had been a mystery; a lie to even herself. This was what caused her to go in hiding for about three days until she was searched for.

"Ah, Naminé…" Spoke a familiar, fiery voice. Axel.

"Yes..?" She replied so softly; the taller man seemed hesitant on continuing.

"You've been missing for days. It's unusual you should choose to stay here in Castle Oblivion." He began, "You know you're free to go now, right?"

"Of course." She replied, quite softly.

Now it was obvious that something was the matter with the blond nobody. She was never one to show emotions. That was only the first thing that indicated a problem to Axel. The most obvious physical conditions were, her paler skin tone, the dark circles under her eyes, the messy hair, and lastly, the dull blue hues that stared to the ground at all times. She seemed like every other teenager her age, which wasn't right, due to her existence as a nobody.

"…" The redhead sighed, walking towards her and shaking his head, seemingly annoyed or perplexed by the girl. "Listen, if something is wrong, why don't you just talk to someone? Roxas, me, Zex-"

She instantly cut him off with a fabricated anger, yelling, "Zexion doesn't matter anymore!" She said, "Neither does Roxas! They're all too busy letting Xion push me out of the picture…"

Axel suddenly realized…

"Naminé, they're not replacing you with Xion." He said. His voice had a laugh inside its sheer darkness. "It's ridiculous of you to think that."

"I had done so much…" She said, "Do all I can to get into his head, because there's no heart to worm my way into…" She began, Axel raising a red eyebrow at her. "Manipulating one another is the closest to a feeling of '_love_' you can get in this existence, and I had that… but Zexion, he just…" She shook her head and threw her sketchbook to the floor.

"Naminé, calm down, will 'ya!?" Axel exclaimed, witnessing the tantrum.  
"I--…" She looked down at the book and picked it up gently, swiping the dust away. "I'm sorry."

"Right…" Axel said, crossing his arms and looking out the distant window. With a frown, he thought for a while on what the young woman had explained while throwing her small fit in front of him, and just how true it could be. Nobodies apparently have no emotions, therefore the brain is the target, rather then the heart. This was Axel's common knowledge, but Naminé didn't seem like one to play mind games with another. She was too innocent.

"Naminé…" Axel began to speak, his voice thoughtful. She simply looked up at him with quirked brows, showing confusion or despair. "How good at manipulating others do you think you are?"

Naminé was somewhat astonished at the question. "I'm professional. It's what I was born for."

"Really, now?" Axel replied quickly, his voice remained in deep thought as well as his mind. "Because if you were really that good, you'd be able to convince Zexion to come back to you in the blink of an eye."

"Wh-" Naminé gritted her teeth unnoticeably.

How dare he challenge her abilities in such a way! She may not literally have a heart, but just as Zexion had always told her; the nobodies knew what it was like to have them, and being criticized by Axel like this had summoned her old emotions back to her, being recognized in her mind and having her create a reaction by memory.

"Well?" Axel said, his voice taunting.

"Like you know how to…" She stopped, losing her train of thought.

"I do, and by my observation, little miss Naminé…" He leaned closer to her. "I can do it better then you."

Frowning, Naminé looked up into his emerald eyes and stated bluntly, "Why don't we play a little game?"

"Oh?" Axel was taken aback by her hostility to him, at first, then smirked slightly and let his crossed arms drop to his sides, a gesture for her to continue. Knowing well that the 'game' she was proposing to him at this moment could possibly hurt her, or even possibly hurt him if it turned out she won, she put on a look of determination as well as a blank facial expression.

"We prove our will power." She said, "We will both weave into the other's mind, and whoever's won first will be the better manipulator of Organization XIII."

Staring at her with a calm blankness, the pyromaniac standing tall over her thought for a moment. "I wouldn't want to hurt you, Naminé."

Naminé smirked in a manner unlike her. "Challenge accepted, then."

She caught his attempt at getting a head start, acting as if he cared if the outcome hurt her or not. She _was_ a good little witch, wasn't she? Extending her hand, Naminé remained smirking at the tall redhead. He looked at her hand for a moment before smirking, looking into her blue eyes, and grasping her hand.

"Fair enough." He said, shaking her hand.

"Let the game begin." She said, watching as he turned around and waved over his shoulder. They both had their own thoughts, yet spoke nothing to each other until the game plans would be sketched in their heads and taken out. Leaving the room, Naminé smiled to herself.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One. :D Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
Now the show's REALLY on the road.

**SONG: **Linkin Park - Leave Out All The Rest

**DISCLAIMER: **So yeah, I don't own any of the characters, or the series that they came from. Kay, thanks. :D

* * *

In his little room inside of the Castle that Never Was, Axel sat on his bed with his forehead in his hands. He'd endured a long day of nothing but gathering hearts, and that did wonderful pain to the shoulders and upper back. Not only that, but his head was pounding. Shaking his head slowly and standing up from his bed, he stretched and brushed off his shoulders. Walking out to the hall, he decided to leave the castle and go to another world to get something to eat. Perhaps he'd get a nice sea-salt ice cream in Twilight Town.

As soon as he stepped outside, he put up his hood and created a portal to Twilight Town, finally deciding that was the best idea. Upon his arrival there, he realized that the sun was setting. He never had a good grasp on time difference between worlds. It was always dark in the World that Never Was. No matter, this was the best time to eat sea-salt ice cream on top of the station tower. Walking a few blocks to reach the ice cream parlor, the pyromaniac looked at one of the tables that sat outside to see Naminé, innocently drawing pictures like she had always been.

This is your chance, Axel.

On the other hand, the blond smiled gently to herself, seemingly calmer then the day before at the castle. She sketched quietly at the table, under the umbrella, the sunset giving her blue eyes an orange-ish pink gleam. It wasn't long before she saw a stick of sea-salt ice cream in front of her face.

"You seem better." Axel said, smirking down at her.  
"You're not doing so well at this game." She said, taking the ice cream in her hand and looking down at it, closing her sketchbook. His moves were all so blunt and easily noticeable. What was he thinking? Was he serious when he said he was better then her?  
"Sure, whatever." He said, leaning towards her. "… but would it be a game if I had no fun?"  
Naminé nodded, understanding his point. Axel was the kind of nobody that enjoyed the fun of the game, rather then winning; he just often won in the process.  
"Come to the station tower with me." He said. "The sunset is just starting. If we get there fast enough, we can watch the good part."  
A long pause followed this as Naminé looked up at him, tilting her head to the side. She seemed so easy to manipulate, to him, yet to her it was all a façade she'd put on.

"_This is it. The perfect opportunity to get into his head." _Naminé thought, nodding and standing up to look at him.

"All right!" Axel said. Sarcasm was traceable in his voice. "Let's go, then." He said, grabbing her free hand and creating a portal to the top of the station tower.

* * *

A few minutes had passed, but the two made great conversation. Naminé had talked a lot about Zexion, and this struck some chord in Axel's mind. Not boredom or jealousy, just something that irked him. Naminé seemed to have an uneasy smile on her face throughout the entire conversation.

"So, you think he left you for Xion?" Axel asked after a pause, the blond looking down at the melting ice cream in her hand.  
"I know he did." She replied calmly.  
"How?" He asked simply, his tone was arrogant.  
"He said… that he couldn't be with me for fear of losing XIV." She said, as her voice grew soft.

Axel sensed this soft spot and lost his smirk and arrogance. Time for the _real_ game.

"Poor little Naminé." He said, grabbing the stick of her melting ice cream, then proceeding to look at it for a moment before he could continue his words. "Zexion is quite the manipulator, himself."  
"What do you mean?" She asked, watching him as he spoke.  
"It's a cruel world we live in, Naminé." He said simply, then licking the ice cream before handing it back to her, and she didn't seem to hesitate in taking it.  
"You're right… But it'd be beautiful if we'd give it the chance." She said, looking up as the sunset came to its drawn-out end.  
"Ha! For you, maybe, in your little pastel world of butterflies and paper hearts." He said, staring off at the sky as well. "The world is dark, and always will be. Anywhere you go, people will use you, and that's the way it always will be. They see who you are and know what you can do, and adjust their actions to you in their favor in order to get in your head, and they'll do it again and again until-" He stopped himself, realizing that he was ranting.  
"Trying to act protective?" She asked. The redhead looked down quietly as the darkness took over the skies. Naminé thought for a while, as he didn't reply. Perhaps this time, it wasn't a charade. Not wanting to let her guard down, she held the ice cream out in front of him and smiled.  
"You don't want?" He asked.  
"No." She replied shortly, not even looking at him.  
"Thanks." He said, taking it back and finishing it off. The wind was chilly, yet the pyro couldn't feel it that much, due to the elevated temperature his body held. Naminé, on the other hand, in her elegant white dress and blue sandals, shivered with chills. Axel took off his coat as if it was an every day task, handing it to Naminé with no facial expression shown on his face.

"Take it." He said, looking off to the opposite direction.  
"Axel…" She started, then laughing. He looked at her quickly, a look of annoyance on his face, causing the blond to stop. He was serious.  
"You're cold. You need it more then I do." He said. Naminé took the coat from his hands slowly and hesitantly. This wasn't a part of the game. He wasn't using this as a way to get into her head and be one step closer to the winning point?  
"Um… Thank you." She said softly, causing him to nod as she put the coat on. It was so warm…  
"Yeah, sure." He said.  
A long pause crossed the two; they were obviously both in deep thought.  
But about two totally different things, and it was odd that they were thinking the complete opposite of what was expected.

"_If things keep going the way they are, I'll have him in the palm of my hand in no time. So far I've caught him slipping up once or twice-he's warming up to me as a friend, somewhat… But I can't underestimate him, either. He could be just as skilled as I am when hiding your emotions…" _The devious blond thought, her hands on her knees, staring down to the ground from so high up. It made her stomach churn. She was afraid of heights.

"_Naminé hasn't tried to manipulate me at all, that I can see. She's just defending herself… Maybe it was all an excuse for someone to stick around and not abandon her for Xion." _Axel thought, looking at her as she smiled down to the ground.

That was Axel's flaw. Naminé _was_ defending herself, and she indeed was reeling him in by getting him to spend time with her in order to play this game, and not leave her for Xion. That much, she'd already woven into his brain…


	3. Chapter 2

So, did I mention I like positive reviews and constructive criticism? :D  
Enjoy chapter twooo.

**SONG:** Eyes Set To Kill - Darling [may I suggest the video version?]

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters or series that this fan work is based on. But I do thank them for allowing me to write a fanfiction based on their marvelous game! :D

* * *

Awakening in the morning to that damned white room, Naminé sat up straight on her pathetic excuse for a bed. Only having a small white cot in the room, she never really slept at night for fear of that uncomfortable 'thing'. One thing was odd, though. She didn't remember falling asleep at all.

Looking around the room, she noticed a piece of paper on the table, it's ends curled up enough to see from a distance. She stood up and heard a slight clanking noise. Looking down, she saw a rather odd phenomenon.  
She was wearing black instead of white.  
Axel's coat?  
For answers, she walked in calm, measured steps to the white table in the middle of the room, picking up the paper and reading it.

_"You fell asleep on the tower last night. I figured I'd take you back to your room, but I didn't want to rob you of the coat, so bring it back to me when you get up. -Axel {VIII}"_

"I don't remember falling asleep." She said shortly, speaking aloud to herself and putting the note in the pocket of his coat. She walked over to her sketchbook and smiled to see that he'd set it down neatly and in line with the table's edges. Nice and neat, like everything else in her room.

"Better return the coat." She said, then walking to the door. Reaching for the door handle, she froze and stared down in thought.

* * *

"What in God's name could she be doing?" Axel asked himself, his arms crossed as he paced in his room. Finally deciding that she was either sleeping or drawing in her room, he walked out the door and began walking through the halls, then stopping to portal off to Castle Oblivion.

Upon his arrival at her door, he knocked and waited a moment. No answer. Not even a stirring in the room. He didn't sense her there at all, and VIII usually trusted his gut.  
"Ugh, Naminé…" He groaned, "Where could you be at this time?"

Walking around the castle for a while, he shook his head and decided to go back to the Castle that Never Was. Little did he know…

"Hm, hm, hm~…" The blond hummed a calm tune as she sat on the steps of the Proof of Existence. Her sketchbook leaned on her lap as she gracefully formed lines and curves on the paper before her. It wasn't long before a tall, slender form walked into the Proof of Existence in front of her, easily identifiable as Axel, himself.  
"Naminé?" He asked. His tone was somewhat angry or annoyed.  
"Yes?" She replied, not even looking up at him. This seemed to pull his strings, for he stomped towards her and grabbed her face, forcing her to look up at him. She flinched, making a high-pitched yelp and dropping her pencil as she closed her eyes. This was a surprise to Axel. She was scared…  
"Naminé..?" He repeated, his voice softening.  
"I-I'm sorry." She said instantly. Axel raised a brow in confusion as to what she was apologizing for. He just didn't like the fact she wasn't looking at him when he addressed her. Looking down at her, he caught a glimpse of her drawing. It wasn't finished, but she'd obviously done enough for him to make out. He let go of her face for fear he'd hurt her for what he'd seen.  
"… Were you fucking with my memories!?" He yelled, astonished. In this game, he saw that as cheating. Naminé shook and remained silent.  
"Were you!?"  
"What are you talking about?! I was just sitting here drawing and you came storming in, yelling at me!" She screamed, her hands on her head.  
"Then, what's this!?" He asked, picking up the book and looking at the picture again. She looked at it fearfully and shook her head quickly.  
"Stop yelling at me!" She said, "I was just drawing a picture of us, okay!? Even if I was using my ability over memories on you, it would be completely fair!" She said, gritting her teeth afterward and growing somewhat rebellious. She was tired of everyone in the organization yelling and abusing her. At least, they used to…  
"Using our abilities makes things fair, does it!?" He yelled, taking out his chakrams in a burst of flames.  
"Axel, stop it!" She yelled, terrified. The way she saw it, this was completely unfair. She hadn't done anything wrong, and he just comes up in the Proof of Existence with his chakrams, screaming bloody murder at her.  
"Why should I? It's fair, right?!" He said.  
"If I was changing your memories, you wouldn't be doing this right now!" She yelled back in horror, backing into a corner. This struck Axel as truth and he put his arms down to his sides, his chakrams disappearing in a flash of light. Naminé was too scared to look up at him, but she stopped shaking for a few minutes as Axel's footsteps were heard, leaving the Proof of Existence. Naminé looked up after a minute and he was gone.  
"… Axel?" Naminé called in a feeble voice. There was no reply. He was gone, but why? She was now curious. Wobbling to her feet, she quickly walked out to the hallway Axel exited through. He was nowhere to be found.  
"Did he really scare himself?" She asked herself quietly, opening a portal to Castle Oblivion.

When she'd arrived, she could hear an echoing of footsteps in the castle's basement levels. He wouldn't have come back here, would he? Traveling down the many floors, making it to the basement library that Zexion and Lexaeus always planned in with Vexen and Axel, she was quite surprised to see Zexion there.

"What are you doing… here?" She asked softly. The depressing young man looked at her as well and then away.  
"Getting some books." He said simply.  
"You're… moving out?" She asked.  
"Yes." He said, then walking over to her and placing a hand on her cheek. "Don't blame yourself, Naminé…" He said, but something in his eyes struck Naminé as different, compared to when he'd whisper to her before. She backed away a few steps and shook her head.  
"… N-No, of course not…" She said, turning away.  
"Naminé?" He tilted his head to the side and stepped towards her.  
"Zex?" Came the wondrous voice of Xion from the table behind them. Naminé cringed as Zexion instantly turned towards her and nodded, going back to what he was doing. By the time he could look, Naminé had exited the library.

* * *

"What the hell is wrong with you, Axel?" The redhead asked himself. If things end up like that again, Axel could really mess up the game.

But was that really what was important? Naminé is one of the nobodies that seem to have emotions, much like Axel himself. This is what made the ordeal so nerve-wracking. He just threatened the life of a little blond girl over a _game_.

"Go apologize or somethin' like that." He told himself. "She'll forgive you. She's Naminé." With that said, he began walking out of the bedroom door to travel to Castle Oblivion again. This game was getting into his head more then Naminé was. When he'd exited his room, he created a portal to Naminé's door and prepared to knock, but instead he heard something unexpected.

Sobbing? Was Naminé in there crying? Was she crying… because of what he did?

"Naminé?" He called, knocking on the door. The crying abruptly stopped and Naminé came to the door, calling from the other side in a feeble, quiet voice.  
"Yes?"  
"Can I… come in?" He asked. The door was unlocked and opened in a minute. Axel walked in as she closed the door behind him, quiet and sullenly.  
"I, uh… I thought I heard you…" He looked at her, seeing her big, droopy blue eyes staring up at him. She was crying-- they were reddened.  
"Heard me what, Axel?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. She was totally hiding it.  
"Crying." He said calmly. Naminé blinked and shook her head quickly.  
"No." She said softly, but was frozen at the feeling of Axel's hand on her cheek. She stopped and looked up at his emerald green eyes, clenching her teeth and then failing to prevent a stray tear from traveling her cheek. Axel saw it and swiped it away with his thumb.  
"I knew it… I'm sorry, Naminé." He said, not really sounding sincere, but she shook her head and backed away. "I am." He repeated, "I didn't mean to scare you-"  
"It's not that, Axel…" She said, turning away and cursing herself for showing weakness to others. She was always the calm, cool, and collected one. What she demonstrated now was epic failure.  
"What is it, then?" He asked.  
"Zexion…" She said, "I saw him with Xion downstairs, and he tried to talk to me, but…" She stopped and shook her head, walking in the other direction and to her cot, where his jacket lay.  
"Naminé…" Axel said quietly, watching her as she picked up the coat and carried it over to him, handing it back. "Thanks…" He said.  
"I'm sorry I didn't give it back earlier." She said.  
"Keep it for a while longer." He said, putting it around her shoulders. Naminé seemed confused, but grabbed onto the sleeves and looked up to him with her large, pleading hues.  
"I… Thank you…" She said, yet shocked as he pulled her closer to him and placed a hand on the back of her head, ruffling her hair carefully.  
"Hang in there, Naminé." He said. He could feel her shaking so softly. This girl was so frail. What did the organization do to her all this time?  
"Axel…" She whispered, shaking her head and closing her eyes. She held back her tears, still, as if her life depended on them being a secret.

It was probably about ten minutes later that Naminé grew sleepy, closing her eyes and leaning heavily on the redhead that held her as she forced her fabricated tears away. Axel sighed and picked her up, then setting her down on the cot in her room to sleep. It wasn't long after saying a few last words that Naminé had fallen peacefully asleep.

"You're a lie."


	4. Chapter 3

YAY! So, does anyone think this chapter reminds them of the death of L in Death Note?  
I didn't mean for it to, but it turned out like that. xD

**SONG: **The Fray - How To Save A Life

**DISCLAIMER: ***snores* How many times am I gonna type this today? So... this story's strictly fan-written, and I, the author, do not own Kingdom Hearts or the characters in it. :3

* * *

You're a lie…

Those words lingered in his mind for the entire night. He hadn't slept a wink because of it the night before. He just couldn't seem to find a meaning or a reason for those three simple words. He shook his head and growled, throwing his hands into the air, then getting up and going to the window, pulling the red curtains open to look outside. Dark, as usual. Raining, as usual.

Beautiful day.

He only saw one thing out of the ordinary, being a young blond girl, walking in the rain. At the slightest glimpse of this, Axel was already on his way outside to find out what the hell would possess Naminé to go out in the rain.

"Naminé!?" Axel called from the shade under the castle's roof. Naminé seemed to hear him and turn towards him, her face showed a look of confusion. What was he doing outside in the rain?  
"What!?" She asked, trying to yell over the rain.  
"What are you doing outside in the ra-"  
"What!?!" She called again. Axel groaned and walked out into the rain, then up to Naminé as she walked towards him as well.

"You must be insane to be out in the storm like this, Naminé." He said. Naminé blinked and looked up at him, her blue eyes piercing his emeralds.  
"No, I'm just enjoying the weather." She said softly, looking up at him. He sighed, shaking his head and putting his hands on her shoulders, pulling her out of the rain and into the castle.

He grumbled as he pulled her up the flights of stairs, her looking at him with that confused look the entire time. Making it to his room, he opened the door and pulled her in, closing the door behind them. It was cold in there. He must have kept the air conditioner on in order to keep his body at a comfortable temperature.

"Here." He said, handing her a towel. She looked at it and smiled, taking it and nodding as she used it to dry off her hair. The redhead seemed to have a weird look on his face and he turned to look the other direction.  
"Nani..?" She squeaked quietly, observing Axel's quick motion of shaking his head. He had actually realized that she was blonde enough to go out in the rain with a white dress on.  
"Here, you're probably freezing. This is why I gave you my coat." He said with slight annoyance in his voice, handing her the thick, dark red blanket from his bed, then sitting down on the edge of the bed. He watched her as she wrapped the blanket around her quickly, as if she was turning into a huge icicle.  
"It's so cold in here…" She said.  
"Yeah…" He said, lying down on his bed without even showing the slightest sign of being cold. "I'm used to it."

Naminé stood in the middle of the room, holding the towel while the blanket was wrapped around her snugly. Axel glanced up at her, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well?"  
"I'm sorry." She said, shaking her head as she looked to the floor.  
"Right." Axel said, turning on his side to face the wall. After a while he grew tired; he had no sleep the night before because--…

"Naminé… What did you mean by saying that I'm a lie?" He asked.  
"Hm?" She blinked, then shrugging. "I figured that you were just being nice to me because you wanted to win the game." She said.  
"Right…" He said shortly, understanding completely now. Soon enough, he felt a strange bouncing on his mattress. Turning his head, he saw that Naminé was crawling onto his bed next to him.

"What… are you doing?" He asked.  
"I'm… not used to having a bed." She said, "Just a hard, little cot."  
Axel understood what she was doing now and nodded quietly, facing the wall still. Naminé lied down on the large, black bed next to him, hogging his dark red blanket. She moved close to him and threw part of the blanket over him. He was tired.

"Good night, Axel." Naminé said, secretly thinking.  
"_I've got this in the bag." _

"Night, Naminé." He said, still turned away from her. He could feel her small figure closely snuggled to his back for warmth.

It was kind of 'cute', to him…


	5. Chapter 4

This chapter pained me. I really didn't want to write it. D:  
You'll probably understand when you read it.

**SONG:** Nobou Uematsu - Aerith's Theme [the Final Fantasy VII death scene one.]

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts, nor the characters in this fan-work.

* * *

The artistic blond woke up to her own scratchy cot, Axel's organization coat placed over her comfortably. Staring at the table, there was another note. She groaned and sat up, then stretching to her feet and walking over to the table. Finally, she picked up the note and looked at it.

"_Not getting me that easily, Naminé. -Axel {VIII}" _

He's good at this.

* * *

No matter how hard it was to push that little beauty away, he had to do it. He didn't want to think he was going to lose at a game of manipulation. At that, Axel sat in his bed, completely and utterly perplexed by his mind. He was having a collision of all kinds of different thoughts and feelings. It was only when he heard footsteps in the hallway that he got worried.

"I have to stay away from her for a day…" He said, creating a portal to the newer library in the Castle that Never Was.

Stopping, he saw Xigbar, looking quite bored, sitting at the table next to Zexion, who was reading quietly.

"Hey, Xiggy, got any missions for me to tend to?" The pyromaniac asked, but only receiving a quick 'nah' in return. Zexion glanced up at him with tired eyes before looking back down at his book. Axel still couldn't think of him the same. He was Naminé's… boyfriend.

That had a weird ring to it in his head.

"Hello, Zexion… Axel…" Came the voice of the one and only fourteenth.  
"Xion." Zexion replied in a greeting, nodding as he continued reading.  
"Yo…" Axel replied.  
"Is something the matter, Axel?" She asked, blinking and looking at him with somewhat concern. Axel had to think something up, rather then 'you and Zexion fucked with Naminé's feelings'.  
"Nah, do you know where I can find Roxas?" He asked.  
"I think he's out skateboarding in Twilight Town." She said calmly.  
"Right." He said, walking away and creating a portal to Twilight Town.

Upon his arrival, he saw that Xion was right. He was skating in Twilight Town. He walked towards the shorter male, then crossing his arms.

"Roxas!" He called. Roxas looked and jumped off his board, kicking the back, and causing it to fling up towards him. He caught it and held it in front of him.  
"Hey, Axel!" He replied loudly, approaching his older friend. "What's up?"  
Axel remained silent.  
"… Is something wrong?" Roxas asked him.

* * *

"Hm… Looks like he's not going to see me today…" She said quietly. Something was irking her about today. It was going to be a bad day… Shortly after that thought was established in her mind, she walked outside her doorway to hear the sound of screaming from the basement levels. Quirking her eyebrows, the artist ran through the halls frantically to get downstairs to the basement. Who was screaming like that, and why? It was such a loud, disturbing cry…

It only shocked her so much more when it stopped as she neared the basement level, hearing a light wheezing sound; the sound of dying breath.

"H-Hello?!" Naminé called in fear, turning her head in every direction to hear the wheezing and it's source.  
"Nam--… mi…." Came that quiet voice that she was so used to. She looked around frantically, not wanting to believe the things that popped into her mind.  
"Where are you?" She hissed, her voice echoing throughout the library.  
"Naminé…" The strained voice spoke again. She turned a corner behind a bookshelf to see him; his long hair lay over his eye, as usual. Zexion was fading away, but who was responsible for killing him?  
"Z-Zexion…" She instantly dropped to her knees next to him, blood forming around his entire body. He was beaten badly… but who did this? Why?  
"I'm… sorry…" He said, staring up at her.  
"N-No, Zexion…" She whispered. "You'll be okay, I'll go get Xion!" Naminé said as she began to stand up, but before she could stand up her wrist was grabbed by the dying nobody.  
"Nami… when I left you, I didn't mean to hurt." He said. "I just wanted fourteen to be… safe." He stuttered, yet Naminé looked at him in shock.  
"See… she's a member of the organization, and I was ordered to… protect her…" He said. "I'd lose my place… and be punished for not following m-my duty…" He continued. "But in order to protect… her… I had to leave you… or we'd fight…" He said, his voice shaky.  
"Zexion…" She whispered.  
"I love you, Naminé… and I always would have. If I should come back to you… together, we'll be… r-right?" He asked, staring up at her with squinting eyes. Naminé gave no answer, merely looking in the opposite direction.  
"T-… Together… we'll… be….." He spoke one last time before Naminé found his hand grow limp around her wrist and fall into the blood on the ground.  
"Zexion…" She shook him. "Zexion!" She said louder, then leaning closer to him in an effort to hear his breathing, but it stopped. She cringed, getting blood on her face as she leaned her head on his chest. She paused, closing her eyes.

"_If I had a heart, I think I'd… love you…"  
_"_Naminé, I love you…"  
_"_Cheer up, Naminé…"  
_"_Don't blame yourself, Naminé." _

"_Zexion is quite the manipulator himself. It's a cruel world we live in, Naminé." _

A laugh could be heard in the library, its echo caused it to sound more and more distorted. The sound traveled around again, growing more frightening as it bounced off the windows, bookshelves, and tables until she finally spoke.

"You liar… You liar!" She repeated, and then laughing loudly, the sound could probably be heard all throughout Castle Oblivion. It was only when a hand touched her shoulder that the laughing calmed down, then quieting to a stop.

"Naminé, calm down." Came the cool voice of Axel, standing above her. He still wasn't wearing his coat…  
"A-Axel..?" She looked up at him, but he cut her off.  
"Cry, Naminé." He said, staring down at her demented blue eyes. Zexion's death could have made her go insane, and it was his fault…

But she'd never know that.

"_Hey, Axel!" He replied loudly, approaching his older friend. "What's up?"  
__Axel remained silent.  
_"… _Is something wrong?" Roxas asked him.  
_"_Actually, I…" He began to speak, and then he clenched his fist. "I want to kill Zexion."  
_"_Why?" Roxas asked in return, not sounding the slightest bit afraid or concerned. Axel looked to the ground, gritting his teeth. His green eyes showed little sign of emotion that only the best friend Roxas was could see.  
_"_He fucked with Naminé's head…" He said, and then looked up at Roxas darkly. "I'm the only one that can do that."  
__Roxas paused.  
_"_Do you like her?" _

What a shallow way to play a game, Axel thought to himself. Guilt would have overtaken him if he had a heart…  
Did hearts really matter anymore?

"Axel!" Naminé latched onto him, her arms tightly wrapped around him in a frantic embrace. Zexion's blood was all over her, and it felt so terrible. It burned her, like poison on her sensitive pale skin.  
"Shh…" Axel held her close in an effort to calm the hysterical nobody down. Score.  
"He's gone, Zexion's dead…" She screamed. "I'll kill whoever did this!! I'll kill them!" She said, causing Axel to push her chin up to look at him.  
"Hey," he began, staring into her eyes. "Let's go back to your room. You need to wash up." He said simply, but Naminé shook her head.  
"I can't leave him, I can't leave him…" She repeated.  
"He's gone, Naminé… Let him go…" He declared, placing a hand on the back of her head as she began to wobble on her feet. She must have been weak-stomached for blood or dead bodies. Both of which, Axel was used to.  
"I…" She began, but saw Zexion beginning to fade away. "… I…"  
"Goodnight." Axel said, then casting a sleep spell on her. Naminé instantly fall back and her eyes closed slowly, staring up at him. He caught her softly and created a portal to her room.


	6. Chapter 5

Not much to say, but this one started out as a filler and turned out as an important part of the story.  
So it was CRAPPY in the beginning. Aroung the middle to the end is good though. :3

**SONG: **Good Charlotte - Bloody Valentine

**DISCLAIMER: **This fiction is purely fan-written, and as the author, I, DarlingNamine, must make it clear to you, that I do not own Kingdom Hearts or the characters involved. [For this chapter, I have to add that I don't own Romeo and Juliet, and the clips from it later on were written by William Shakespeare. Not me.] :D

* * *

It had taken until the next morning for the artistic nobody to awaken again, feeling quite heavy, and her eyes felt like they were drooping with bags. She looked under the blanket she woke up under, seeing no bloodstains on her at all. In fact, her dress was clean. She looked up to see Axel, leaning on the wall.

"Morning."  
"How did I get here? How is my dress clean..?" She asked quietly, sitting up.  
"Don't feel violated, but… I cleaned it…" He said shortly, "and I brought you here last night." He said. Naminé sat up on the side of the cot and placed her hands on her knees, looking to the floor.  
"… And Zexion?" She asked. Axel looked down, pushing himself off the wall and making something appear in his hand. A book.  
"This is all that was left…" He said.  
"Who did this..?" She asked him quietly, taking the book into her hands as he handed it to her.  
"I don't know…" He lied, shaking his head. "The superior thought it could be suicide." Axel stated, but noticed the shocked look on Naminé's face; shocked horror.  
"He wouldn't…" She said. "He was so happy…" She said, biting her lower lip to hide her tears. Axel walked close to her and sat down on the cot, pulling her close.  
"I'm sorry." He said. In his point of view, he was apologizing for killing Zexion, but to Naminé, he was just being sympathetic. A moment passed before Naminé hugged the redhead gently and sighed, her head on his shoulder. Another silence followed.

"Axel…" She began.  
"Yes..?" He asked.  
"Spend a day with me." She demanded, "Come to the Gold Saucer with me."  
"The… amusement park?" He asked. She simply nodded, her eyes closed as she leaned on his shoulder. Axel blinked and didn't dare ask why. He was sure it had something to do with their tedious little game.  
"Yes…" She said quietly. "It can be like… a date." She said thoughtfully. Something was wrong with this picture. Nobodies did not have emotions, but Naminé changed from depressed about Zexion to asking Axel out in less then five minutes? It had to be the game. Axel couldn't see any other reason why she'd come out and ask him to go on a date with her to the Gold Saucer.

"A date?" He asked skeptically.  
"Yeah, come on…" She asked, "Please?"

Axel was hesitant, for he knew this was all leading to her possibly gaining an advantage in their game. If he stayed on track, he would catch her attempts at messing around with his head before she succeeded. He didn't see the point in turning her down.

"Fine…" He replied after a long pause of thinking. Naminé smiled brightly and stood up, Axel standing up next to her and looking down at her. She was smiling… That was a good sign.  
"To the Gold Saucer!" She said, her voice hyper, yet soft. Axel laughed darkly and opened a portal to the amusement park.

It was large, bright, and it was dark outside already. Axel looked over to the ticket booth and crossed his arms. The place was entirely childish.

"Come on…" He said, walking up to the ticket booth with Naminé close by his side. "Two tickets." He said flatly, passing over the munny needed to purchase them.  
"Have a nice time." The lady said, handing the tickets to them. Axel turned to Naminé and handed her ticket to her, then walked in the tent with her close.  
"What do you want to do?" He asked, looking around at the different tunnels. She looked around and then decided to go to the play.

Walking in, the man next to them handed out the papers, and Naminé's pale lips turned up to a cute smile.  
"Romeo and Juliet." Axel repeated. Naminé nodded and laughed under her breath, walking them to a seat. Sitting down, Axel glanced at Naminé, who was sitting next to him. She seemed calm, but he could tell she wanted to see the play. He didn't know why it was so important, but if she wanted to see it that bad, then what harm could it be?  
"Thank you, Axel." The canary blond spoke to the taller man next to her, only receiving a nod in return.

The play was long, and Naminé grew tired with time. She rested her head on Axel's shoulder, just barely keeping her eyes open. Axel had offered to go home a few times, but Naminé just shook her head and continued watching in her half-asleep state.

"Come, bitter conduct, come, unsavoury guide! Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on the dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark! Here's to my love!" Spoke the Romeo, his voice loud and noble on stage. Naminé's eyes were half-closed, but Axel could see the gleam. She liked this play. She was a romantic…  
She was probably thinking about Zexion.

Axel slowly turned his head to face her; her soft hair caressed his cheek.

"O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die." The redhead said along with Romeo, quiet enough that only he and Naminé heard. Naminé smiled, chuckling softly. Axel laughed softly as well as they continued watching.

"What's here? a cup, closed in my true love's hand? Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end: O churl! drunk all, and left no friendly drop to help me after? I will kiss thy lips; haply some poison yet doth hang on them, to make die with a restorative." Naminé recited at the same time as Juliet did on stage in despair, yet once she finished, Axel turned her head to face him. They were close…

"Axel…" She whispered. He placed a finger on her lips and his nose touched hers.  
"Shh…" He then moved his hand from her lips and kissed her softly, and time began to slow down for the two nobodies. They couldn't see anyone else in the room; everything was focused on them. Axel and Naminé; Romeo and Juliet.  
When the play was over, the 'couple' exited. They seemed to be a little dazed, or even confused. Axel looked down to the artistic nobody and cleared his throat.  
"Well..?" He asked. Naminé looked towards a different tunnel and asked her question in a very quiet voice.  
"Can we have a ride on the Gondola before going back..?" She asked. Axel nodded and walked towards the tunnel, the blond following slowly next to him.

Going down the tunnel, the redhead led them out to a gondola ride, and luckily they were the only ones going on. Showing their tickets, they boarded the lift, Axel sitting across from Naminé, both close to the window.

A long pause would fill the air around the two as they looked outside. It wasn't long before the two would spot many attractions below, such as the Chocobo Races, the roller coaster, and the best part was, the fireworks. Blue, red, green, and purple lights flittered in the air outside of them, causing their faces to gleam brilliant colors.

"_I think… he's won…" _Naminé thought.  
"_She wins. She got me…" _Axel thought at the same time.

"Naminé, I-"  
"Axel--…" They both began to talk at the same time. Naminé looked back out the window and gestured for Axel to continue, but he shook his head.  
"Never mind." He said, staring intently at her. The fireworks emphasized her beauty.  
"Axel…" The young artist began, "I…" She looked up at him and thought for a moment, staring into his emerald green hues. He kissed her… and she felt something. That was the key; she felt something there. Not a heartbeat, but something like it. Her pause ceased as she spoke outright.

"Axel, what just happened in the theatre?" She asked, her voice growing quieter. Axel looked at her again, this time for a long moment. She had a problem with keeping eye contact, therefore Axel picked up her chin to look at him.  
"This…"

The pyro leaned close to the blond, slowly, but she backed up a little.  
"It's all a game…" She said.  
"It's not…" Axel said, causing Naminé to freeze momentarily. He took this chance to press his lips firmly against hers, which made the blond get chills down her spine. Both of them closed their eyes, the fireworks popping in the skies over them.

* * *

Home, at last. It was nice to feel as if they belonged somewhere.

Axel carried the sleeping blond in his arms from the gondola to the castle. She was so tired, she'd fallen asleep right before the ride ended. He put her back in her own cot, staring down at her as she slept. He looked over to his right to see his coat on the back of the chair. Was she afraid of getting it dirty or something? She wouldn't wear it.  
Walking over to the coat, he picked it up and placed it over her as a blanket. She seemed a lot less devious in her sleep… so innocent.


	7. Chapter 6

Pretty simple chapter, but you'll all throw tomatoes at me for what happens. D:

**SONG: **Scary Kids Scaring Kids - Holding On

**DISCLAIMER: **Iun own sheeit. [In other words, I don't own Kingdom Hearts or the characters from it used in this fanfiction. Thanks for letting me use them, though!]

* * *

Waking up in the morning, Axel looked to the window. Closed curtains, as usual. He stood up and stretched.

"Wonder when the superior's gonna realize I haven't been wearing my coat." He said in a groan. He shook his head, deciding to get it back for a while later. For now, he had to think of how he could get the blond girl to fall for him. He was sure that some part of her had to like him; she let him kiss her twice.  
He strode to the door quickly without much thought that didn't contain despair. As soon as he opened the door, though, he was faced with a tall, blond woman.

"I heard… that you killed him." She said.  
"What?" Axel asked, then turning to look down the halls to make sure she wasn't heard. Making a hushing motion with his hand, he allowed her in the room. She smirked, strolling in arrogantly and turning on her heels as Axel shut the door. He looked at her, and his expression grew dark.

"How did you find this out?" He asked in a morbid tone of voice, as if the sin grew heavier in his chest, pulling down his voice. Larxene waved her hand over her shoulder; a quiet laugh escaped her lips. Axel would have cringed, had he not been used to it.  
"Oh, let's just say… I was reading a good book." She said with a vile smirk. Axel crossed his arms and glared into her dangerous green eyes.  
"What do you want?" He asked.  
"Nothing more then to thank you… But I wonder how poor Naminé would feel if she found out about this, ne?" She laughed. Axel instantly felt his blood turn cold.  
"Don't even think about it… or I'll kill you, too." He said coldly, yet the response from Larxene was a sharp laugh.  
"You will? Ahh, because I think," she began, "that you can't afford to go on a killing spree. You don't need to scare poor little Naminé, now, do you?" She said in a baby voice.  
"Larxene…" Axel hissed, "What do you want!?"  
"Marluxia's become quite the bore, lately…" She spoke.

* * *

"So you're telling me to leave the castle?" The blond asked Roxas in a quiet manner, her hands folded over her lap as he stood across the table from her.  
"Yeah…" He said, "Go to Twilight Town. Move in the mansion and attend school there-- lead a normal life, Naminé…"  
"Roxas," the artist began, looking to her folded hands for some sort of inspiration to say something back to her 'friend'.  
"Why are you asking this of me?"

Roxas looked at her with a half smile and a sullen look in his eyes.

"Axel…" He said, "He's the one that killed Zexion…"

A long silence followed this statement, as it seemed to echo around the room. It was still a very touchy subject, to Naminé; a raw wound that had been touched by un-cleaned hands. She felt her voice crackle as she tried to speak to the young keyblade wielder in front of her.

"Wh-What?" She asked.  
"He killed Zexion…" He said again without remorse. Naminé blinked wildly, and the world spun crazily out of control. She shook her head and grabbed it tightly with her dainty pale hands.  
"No… No! I can't believe you'd even try to say something like that!" She said, standing up and shaking her head once more, turning and running out the door. It wasn't long after she'd reached the first floor that she saw Axel and Larxene walking out of her room. Was he sweating?

"… A-Axel…" She began. He looked at her and stopped in his tracks, looking at Larxene. To him, this was to confirm that Larxene's mouth was shut. To Naminé, it looked as if they were 'together'.  
"Naminé…" Axel whispered.

"Naminé, I heard that you're moving!" The lemon-blond nymph exclaimed, causing Axel to look at her in angered terror. Naminé just froze for a moment before she could feel tears forming in her eyes.  
"Yes…" She said, looking down. Larxene was possibly her worst nightmare, and Axel was…  
"Naminé, it can't be…" Axel said, his eyes broken.  
"It's true, so just let me go and--... and shut _up_!" She said, turning away and running out the door, creating a portal as she got outside.

"Naminé!" Axel called, taking a few steps after her, then hearing Larxene's sharp laughter. "You!!"  
"This is too much!" The savage nobody said sarcastically. Axel growled at her and ran out to chase Naminé, but instead found that she'd vanished all ready. Looking blankly ahead on the road to dawn, he'd felt the chill of the wind as he stood there, all alone, without Naminé, possibly forever. The wind cooled off his sweating body from the training match he and Larxene had fought.

"Where could you be..?" He asked quietly, closing his eyes and letting the wind cool him.

* * *

"Hey! Hey, you!"  
"She's out cold, y'know?"  
"Fainted."

Voices began to flood the young blonde's ears. She groaned and turned her head slightly. She didn't remember when she fell asleep. She did that a lot lately, didn't she?

"Seifer! She's coming to, y'know?"  
"Hey, girl, are you all right?" Asked the two male voices that Naminé heard as she slipped back into consciousness. She must have passed out on a bench in the sandlot without noticing while she cried earlier on.

"Waking up." Came a female voice as well. Naminé finally began to open her eyes to see a group of three.  
One was a buff, tall man with an orange and blue shirt and dark tan complexion, staring down at her with a dopey smile.  
Another, the girl, was quite skinny and paler then the first, and her light violet hair covered her piercing red eyes.  
The last one, though, stared intently at her as she woke up. A fit man stared at her, a gray beanie on his head and a blue shirt with white outlines on his torso, though cutting off at the end of his ribcage. It was dark, and a silver coat was placed over her for warmth. It smelled strongly of cologne-- though, this scent was different from that of burnt cologne, like Axel always smelled like.

She grew to like Axel's strange scent, which made raw cologne smell different, to her.

"Where did you come from?" Asked the blond one in the beanie.  
"I just moved here…" The canary said softly. The other boy and the girl looked at each other. "Can you please help me? I need a place to stay, and I need to enroll in the school here." She said.  
"School's on the other side of town…" Said the man, whose coat was sprawled across her gently. She sat up slowly and shook her head.  
"Twelve thirty-five." Said the girl, Naminé instantly knowing that she was referring to the time. She looked up at the sky, stars and the moon, shining down on the sandlot.  
"What's your name?" Seifer asked.  
"Naminé." She said simply, placing a hand over her chest, where her heart lacked.  
"Naminé…?" Asked Seifer.  
"Fuu." Spoke the girl.  
"The name's Rai, y'know?" Said Rai as he poked his own chest with his thumb.

Naminé half expected to hear him introduce himself, followed by a quick, "got it memorized?". It was how Axel introduced himself to anyone. Nodding at the two, she turned to look at Seifer.

"I'm Seifer. I keep this town in line, and I want to tell you it's too dangerous to be sleeping on park benches. You're better off staying with a friend." He said.  
"I have no friends here…" She said. Seifer just smirked and crossed his arms.  
"You'll have to stay with one of us." He said. Naminé looked desperately at Fuu for help, yet she just stared blankly at her. The blond girl then turned to Seifer and Rai, then looking back at Fuu.  
"My house." Fuu said shortly, causing the artist to sigh with relief. The boys nodded.


	8. Chapter 7

If anything, this reminds me SO MUCH of Twilight.  
D: UNINTENTIONAL, again.

**SONG: **Bullet For My Valentine - Tears Don't Fall

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts or the characters involved in this fanfiction that are originally FROM the Kingdom Hearts series.

* * *

"Hello. My name is Naminé…" Said the blond, bowing in respect to the class that stared directly at her. They all seemed to be high-school students, which was a good thing to her. Oddly enough, Naminé sat at a table alone and sketched in her book all class. She was way off, and didn't want to be there at all.

It was a very long class, and things were lonely all day. As she walked, the blond bumped into a brown-haired girl as she walked in front of her.

"Geh!" Naminé squeaked as she stumbled backward, looking up from her daze. "Gee, I'm sorry about that." She said in a calm, gentle voice.  
"Oh, it's fine." Said the girl as she turned to look at her. "Hey, you're Naminé!" She said enthusiastically.  
"Wha--?"  
"The new girl?" Said the brunette. "My name's Olette."  
"It's nice to meet you…" She said, nodding with a small smile.  
"Yeah." Olette said, then scurrying off to her next class. Naminé sighed, then walking to her next class as well. It was going to be a long day. Everyone looked at her like she was a freak…

In their world, she was…

* * *

Finally home to Fujin's house, Naminé sighed and sat down on the floor. What was going on? She had this sunken feeling… Depression? Impossible. Even if she moved away, she was still a nobody, and that was that. She sighed, closing her eyes and falling asleep quite quickly on the floor.

"Wake up." Came the calm voice of Fujin.

It was morning time, three days later. Naminé had made a few friends, but it seemed her best friend still remained to be Seifer, who didn't approve of her other friends, Hayner, Olette, and Pence. Oh well. He didn't have the guts to shun her for it.

She was still as shy and quiet as she was in the beginning, and she still draws constantly during class. She never stopped thinking about that redhead, though.  
Today was going to be different, though. A day unforgettable-- to Twilight Town, at least.

"Hey, Nam'!"  
Only one person gave the blond that nickname. It had to be…  
"Seifer?" She asked, turning from her locker to face him.  
"I wanted to know if you'd come to the sandlot after school and hang out, just me and you." He said, a hand on his hip as he spoke in a confident tone of voice. What an egotistical man, Seifer was.  
"Um… Sure." She said quietly, her gentle voice quaked slightly.  
"You sick or something?" He asked. Naminé shook her head and smiled reassuringly.  
"That's our girl. See you then, little miss Naminé." He said, waving over his shoulder as he walked down the hallway. Naminé froze when she heard what he'd called her, then turned to look down the hallway after him, but he was already gone. Shaking her head, she passed it off as a coincidence.

When getting to class, she sat in her seat alone, and the first thing she pulled out was her sketchbook, but the teacher walked over and took the book away in the swipe of a hand.  
"Not today, Naminé. You've been here long enough to start keeping up with the class." She said, causing the blond to sigh, folding her hands on the desk and staring blankly at the lesson in front of her that the teacher rushed to write on the board.

The teacher was very caring of her students, but she took it to a different level. She was rude, and loud, and very sarcastic to the students, no matter if they're bad or good. Naminé was on the good side, yet she began to think that the teacher was going to change that.

Completing her work almost perfectly, Naminé handed it in to the teacher at the end of class. She quickly looked it over and smiled sweetly, handing Naminé her sketchbook back. Upon touching the familiar cover of the book, the blue-eyed artist practically hugged the thing until the teacher cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry I had to take it away from you. It seems to mean a lot to you, but…" She began. The witch looked up to her superior and tilted her head to the side, urging her to go on. "I noticed in your drawings, two men that appeared a lot…" She said.  
The artistic naught froze. She looked at it?!  
"One with silver hair and one with red hair… They seemed important to you. I half expected to see Seifer in there-" Naminé cut her off by practically yelling, her eyes closed.  
"They were old friends, and they don't mean a thing anymore!" She said. The teacher blinked in surprise, but merely looked back to her paperwork.  
"I just want to tell you… to move on from your old home. You'll never be happy unless you warm up to those around you, here, in Twilight High." She said. Naminé calmed herself and looked down to the floor.  
"Seifer seems to like you." She said. Naminé nodded. "Take advantage of that. You have one good friend, and he's quite popular around here." She said, then gesturing for Naminé to leave the classroom.

Sighing, the distraught student walked out of the room, ashamed of herself for losing her cool.  
Something was different about today; it had been thrown off since the minute Seifer called her 'little miss Naminé.'  
Everything pointed to Axel, today… but when didn't it, somewhere deep in her mind?

She could never be in love with Axel. Nobodies couldn't love. They couldn't feel. Besides, all that could possibly be happening right now would be that Axel had manipulated her in their little game. They meant nothing to each other, it was just a game of cat and mouse where they both played both roles, and it confused the living daylights out of Naminé.  
She couldn't help but remember the day at the Gold Saucer, though…  
Was it… their first date, in some weird way?

* * *

About six more hours of misery spent in the lockdown facility they call school, and the artistic student was free to go home. On her way back, she passed the steps that lead down to the sandlot when she remembered what Seifer said this morning; just the two of them. Naminé was so focused as she walked down the stairs, she couldn't hear the loud shrieking that came from a voice so familiar, known as Olette.

It was lonely so far as she got down to the sandlot. She looked around quietly and wondered where he could be. If anyone had been late, it would have been her.

"Naminé! I'm _glad_ you could _make_ it!!" Came a somewhat insane sounding voice from behind her. The blond girl turned to see a man in an Organization XIII coat, his fists clenched. She backed a few steps away.  
"Who..?" She began, but the man held his hand out in a gesture to stop talking.  
"Silence." He said, soon enough a silence followed. The sun was setting now, and the two just stared at each other. Naminé, in fear, the other, well… it was unknown what he felt.  
"You…" The man began, shaking his head and in the blink of an eye he was standing directly in front of Naminé. The surprise caused her to back up, but she backed into a wall. The blond witch looked up at the insane-voiced man in fear, yet it hardly showed anywhere other then her eyes.  
"Who are you!?" She exclaimed.  
"Naminé…" The voice spoke in a softer tone as he walked towards her. Naminé froze as she stood against the wall, unable to back away any further.  
The unknown naught approached her, but she tried to run to the right. Before the blue-eyed artist could go anywhere, the man grabbed her left wrist with his right hand, pulling her back, and then grabbed her right hand with his left.  
"Calm down!" He said. Naminé's eyes widened and she stopped struggling against him. Looking up under the shadows of the cloaked man's hood, the blonde's eyes widened.  
"… A-Axel…" She whispered unsteadily. He nodded softly and leaned close to her, almost whispering.  
"Naminé, come back to the castle…" He said, staring carefully down at her deep blue eyes. He had her pressed against the wall, and she could feel the heat of his body close to her. Naminé couldn't help but remember, though, what he looked like when she saw him walk out of Larxene's quarters in Castle Oblivion…

"Why? Can't you just be happy with _Larxene_?" Naminé asked spitefully.  
"No, you have it all wrong…" He said, looking guilty under the shadows of his hood. The blond witch clenched her teeth as tears arrived in her eyes.  
"Axel, I know it was all just a game, but… I thought we…" She began, unable to finish her sentence for fear of crying in front of her redheaded 'hero'. He did come for her the day everything pointed to him, didn't he?  
"We did, Naminé…" He began, "We do…" He said, coming closer to her, his nose now touching hers.  
"A-Axel…" The artistic beauty's tears fell down her cheeks and their lips grew closer until they were just so lightly touching, but they were cut off by a quick shout from across the sandlot, as the sky got dark. Axel frowned, knowing whom it was.

"Get off of her!" The familiar brown-haired Olette yelled. Naminé's eyes closed as she forced her tears away. Axel backed up a little, but then stood in front of her protectively upon noticing that Olette was holding a gun.  
"Don't shoot." Axel said calmly, but seeing him stand in front of Naminé, she closed her eyes and screamed, pulling the trigger unsteadily, but Naminé pushed Axel out of the way, causing his hood to fall off slowly.  
"Just go!" The blond yelled, then hearing the cracking of the wall next to her. The bullet just missed her neck.  
Olette blinked in confusion and aimed at the exposed redhead again, but Naminé screamed.

"No!!" She said, shaking her head. "Olette, don't do it, I love him!" She yelled, causing Olette to stare at her in blank awe, and Axel looked at her with confusion.  
"Naminé…" Came the voice of Axel, who was standing about two feet away. Olette backed away slowly and fainted, the gun dropping a short distance away. Axel ran up to Naminé without thought and grabbed her by her shoulders, looking down into her eyes for a split second, and then glancing quickly at the bullet hole in the wall. He felt Naminé's shaky hand on his cheek before he looked back over to her. The two of them stared into each other's eyes; the sky was dark and starry. The redhead's emerald eyes seemed right at home, in the shadows. His blond love's eyes were brightened with reflections of the stars.

"Axel…" Naminé whispered, as they got closer. Axel's lips just barely brushed hers before he spoke again.  
"We should take her to a safe place." He said, in regards to Olette's unconscious body. Naminé nodded slowly and backed away from Axel before running over to Olette, picking her up and taking her home to her house only a block away.

* * *

"Axel… why was she so scared?" The manipulative girl asked. The pyromaniac stared at the sky as they walked, his hands behind his head.  
"She was at the sandlot when I first got there... She asked who I was, and I just said I was waiting for you, and she ran off to tell you that someone was waiting for you there. I didn't want that, so I threatened her to stay away from you and the sandlot..." He said. Naminé was somewhat shocked at first, but she then smiled slightly and reached for his arm, pulling it down from behind his head and laced their fingers together slowly. Something made her tingle inside, in turn making her shiver. Axel smiled slightly at her and took off his coat, which he'd taken back from her room earlier that day, and wrapped it around her. Naminé hadn't put her arms through the sleeves, just smiled up at her loving pyromaniac, Axel.

"You're so… different." Naminé said. Axel tilted his head to the side and laughed softly.  
"Different? Is that bad?" He asked.  
"No… Not at all." She said, leaning up and closing her eyes. At the same time, Axel saw her actions and reacted automatically to have his lips gently caress hers under the stars. He grasped the sleeves of the coat and pulled her body close to his as their lips parted.

"Let's go home…" Axel said gently. Naminé slowly opened her eyes and nodded, still gazing at his beautiful emerald hues. Axel smiled and created a portal back to his room in the Castle that Never Was.


	9. Chapter 8

**WARNING: **This chapter contains a Lemon. If you don't know what that is, it means they're going to have sex. Just a... warning. *cough* xD

It's not as bad as you'd think (or want). I didn't like the dirty worded version I had typed, so I just went through and made it a little more subtle.  
Sue me; I don't normally do Lemons.

**SONG: **Breaking Benjamin - Breath

**DISCLAIMER: **So, I don't own Kingdom Hearts or the characters from it. Kay? :D

* * *

As soon as the two nobodies arrived in Axel's room, Naminé looked around curiously, not knowing they'd come back here. Axel looked at her and lifted her chin to look at him.

"Stay with me…" He said. Naminé stared up at him and nodded. He then smiled softly and let go of the blonde's waist, turning around and taking his shirt off. Naminé's cheeks turned lightly pink as she watched him lie down on the bed. She blinked and walked over to the bed, herself, sitting on the edge as he got comfortable. Turning to face her, he smirked.  
"I don't bite." He said sarcastically, grabbing her hand and pulling her up on the bed.  
"A-Axel!" She squealed as he pulled her close and smirked. She then looked up at him with wonderful blue eyes.  
"Naminé…" Axel whispered, looking down at her and kissing her forehead. "I think… I…" He began, but Naminé closed her eyes and leaned her head on his chest, distracting him.  
"Yes?" She asked softly, knowing well what he was going to say. Instead of saying what was already known, Axel reached down to the foot of the bed and pulled the large red blanket over them with a grin. Naminé was still wearing his coat. He placed a hand on her shoulder, then leaned close to her and began to breathe evenly on her neck, causing her to tremble.

"Axel…" She whispered as she cuddled close to his warm chest, his hot breath beating on her neck and bringing the chills to her spine. He came closer and kissed her neck briskly.  
"I love you, Naminé…" He whispered when stopping for a moment. Naminé kissed his forehead softly, then he continued to kiss her neck, lightly nibbling her soft skin. The blond closed her eyes and tilted her head back and allowed him to move his head lower as he kissed her chest gently at first, then placing one hand on her hip and the other stroked her leg. Naminé's own hands became entangled with his red hair as she pulled the blanket over their heads.  
"Axel--" Naminé gasped as she felt him stop and move up to look into her eyes, his hand soon grasped hers. He was a total tease.  
"Naminé…" He whispered smoothly, staring deeply into her eyes. His other hand found itself touching her cheek, his fingers sliding down her skin, her neck, her chest…

The contact gave Naminé a rush-- a strange tingle throughout her body. She touched her hand to his and kissed the redhead's lips. He wanted her, and being away from her for so long gave him an even bigger lust for the pale blonde's lips, her body, her eyes…

Before they could deepen their kiss, Axel forcefully climbed on top of the smaller blond girl's frail body, pinning her to the mattress. This took Naminé somewhat by surprise, but she didn't object, feeling his lips vigorously crash down on hers. The redhead pulled his coat off her small body, letting it fall off the bed and on the floor. Being the one in control here, Axel decided to tease her a little and broke their kiss, whispering to her as his lips brushed hers with every word, giving Naminé an urge to press their lips together again, but if he wanted to play like that, she'd do the same.

"I've waited so long…" He said with a light smirk tugging at his lips. Naminé felt her body shiver with exhilaration, not expecting the words to escape Axel's mouth. He kissed her roughly on the lips. He was always the one to express himself, it seemed. Then again, that's what Naminé liked most about him. He was different, like she said to him earlier.

Axel's tongue glided smoothly over her flawless, pale pink lips, and Naminé parted them to let him explore. They both loved the feeling they had, for it was the first time that either nobody felt genuinely for anyone else. Axel's hand moved swiftly up her arm, tracing her sensitive skin with his fingers as he reached the strap on her shoulder. Lightly tugging at it for a second, Naminé didn't signal a 'no', so he pulled the strap down from her shoulder slowly, breaking their kiss and moving his lips over her neck, then to her chest as he pulled the strap down her arm, using his other hand to pull the other one down at the same time. With short time, her dress had been pulled down enough to expose from her waist up. Quickly glancing up at Naminé to make sure he wasn't forcing her into this, he noticed that she was enjoying it as much as he was; her head tilted back and her breathing deeper.  
Seeing that, Axel decided that it was time to stop playing games. Once her arms were free of the dress straps, Axel pulled it back over her to lift it off from over her head, then pushing it off the side of the bed to fall on the floor. This time, Naminé lifted her arms from the bed where Axel had her pinned before and wrapped them around Axel, grabbing his shirt and lifting it over his head, taking it off and pushing it away to fall on the floor with the rest. At that, Axel would wrap his arms around her and press his warm body against the blonde's, tugging the strap of her bra undone with his hands as Naminé, herself, had undone Axel's pants. Kicking them off and shoving them aside from the bed with their other clothes, Axel succeeded in un-strapping Naminé's bra. He whispered to her in a deep, lustful voice.

"Are you sure?"  
Naminé kissed him softly as he finished speaking.  
"I'm ready." She replied.

At hearing her soft, velvet voice, Axel proceeded in taking off her bra and moving his hands down from her breasts to her underwear. Naminé did seem a little nervous, and this worried Axel slightly. He didn't want to hurt her; she was too beautiful. He pressed his lips against hers caringly and held her right hand, the left pulling her very last piece of clothing off, and he kicked his boxers off on his own, both falling to the floor. His hand rested behind her head at first, deepening their kiss for a split second before he began tracing every contour of her face, neck, her entire body. His hand stopped at her waist and traveled behind her, his right hand releasing hers. He reached between them and spread her legs slowly, not wanting to hurt her.  
Naminé opened her eyes as Axel broke their kiss. She felt his hand on her leg, pushing it aside softly, but Naminé cooperated as soon as she realized what was about to happen. Axel looked down at her beautiful, timid face with guilt for having to hurt her, but he knew that they both wanted this for a while. At the last moment, Naminé placed a hand on his cheek, the other around his body that loomed over hers. Axel kissed her passionately and slid himself into her, causing the smaller blond to moan loudly, but their kiss muffled the noise. Axel held her hands and pinned them down beside her head, pulling out and pushing back in again. Naminé's breathing was elevated slightly, but Axel knew that the first pain had passed in her memory and now she was feeling the pleasure of the movement. The pyromaniac's lips parted from the blonde's and he looked down at Naminé, her cheeks lightly pinkened and her eyes closed. Repeatedly pulling in and out of her, Naminé began to move her body with his, moaning as she felt the heat. Axel thrusted faster as his blond lover got used to the feeling, moaning with pleasure as the feeling traveled up her spine. The redhead breathed heavily and went in one more time as he came in her, Naminé moaning loudly and grasping the sheets tightly. The pyro collapsed on top of Naminé, leaning his head on her breasts and breathing heavily. When they'd regained their breath, Axel rolled off of her to lie on his back, then holding the frail blond close by his side.

"I love you, Naminé…" Axel said, kissing the top of her head.  
"I love you too, Axel…" She said softly, leaning her head on his chest.


	10. Chapter 9

Okay, so we're nearing the end. This chapter is really complex, because Axel's happy and Namine's a little sad at some parts. This is why I couldn't really pick a good song to fit perfect with it. But I like what I came up with.

**SONG: **A Skylit Drive - The All-Star Diaries

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own the characters or the series that inspired this fan-work.

* * *

Waking up the next morning to see her beautiful face, leaning on his chest, Axel smiled and pushed her hair to the side. The light nudge caused her to open her eyes slowly and look up at him tiredly, stretching from shoulders to feet, and turning on her side to wrap her arms around Axel and quickly fall into another snooze.

"Naminé…" He whispered. The blond smiled softly in her sleep and nuzzled his chest gently.  
"Hmn?" She asked warily.  
"We should…" He began nervously.  
"Get up..?" Naminé asked simply, not wanting to let go of the pyromaniac's warm, soft skinned torso.  
"Yeah…" He said softly, sitting up slowly and letting the blond slowly let go of her hold on him.

He looked down to the floor for a minute before Naminé placed a hand on his shoulder.  
"Axel..?" Naminé's angelic voice rang into his ears, being all that he would let into his brain.  
"We're dead if… the superior finds out that we…" He began, but Naminé turned away from him. He looked at her slowly and looked back down to the blanket, placed over them both. He scooted closer to her and paused.

She noticed.

"I…" She began, but Axel's smooth whisper stopped her.  
"Shh…" He hushed, soon wrapping his arms around her so gently, as if she were a porcelain doll on the counter that was about to break. She was so small, to him.

The redhead had done all that was impossible to the girl. He'd managed to manipulate her, in a sense, and fall in love with her without her using her abilities on him. The lemon blond young girl felt the warmth around her as he embraced her fragile form, then snuggled up to his chest and leaned on him softly for a few minutes.  
It felt good, to Axel. The one person that could give him the chills, this close to him… He could almost feel a heart beating. The blond witch had become everything in his world over the course of about a month…  
How strangely the mind works.  
It took ten minutes, sitting together, naked in his bed and enjoying each other's presence before Axel nuzzled her neck softly. Naminé shivered and he whispered in her ear.

"Strangely, I'm not afraid…" He said.  
"Neither am I…" She replied. Axel laced his fingers with hers and his other hand traced from her shoulder to her forearm, to her hand. Naminé reacted by holding his hand gently.  
A long silence followed as the two Nobodies cuddled in silence. Naminé smiled and kissed his hand softly, attempting to break the silence.

"Naminé… Take this day to be away from me." Said the pyro, letting go of one of her hands to brush his fingers through her soft, baby-blond hair.  
"But--…" She looked up to him and he cut her off with a kiss.  
"Trust me." He said, quietly. His voice convinced her enough and she nodded, tightening the hand that remained inside his own.  
"I do…" She said. Axel nodded and let go of her, vanishing in a portal and taking his coat with him. She was left in his room, alone, and dumbfounded.  
"I love him…"

* * *

"I love her." Said the pyro as he walked through Twilight Town with his best friend. It had been a few hours since Axel left the blond artist alone, not to see her the whole day ahead.  
"Neh…" Roxas shrugged. "If you say so."  
"You don't believe me?" Axel said, looking back to his friend, his hands rested behind his head. He seemed aloof, compared to his normal Nobody self.  
"You killed Zexion." Said the blond boy walking beside his best friend. "That's pretty strong to not be love."  
"Hmn… Yeah……" He said, then a long silence passed the two as they stopped.  
"You have to help me." Said Axel.  
"Yeah, I know." Roxas replied. At that, they disappeared in a portal of darkness.

* * *

Naminé, on the other hand, went back to her room, drawing silently as she sat in her chair. It wasn't long before a noise was heard across the room-- it was a portal. Soon emerged the fourteenth member of Organization XIII, Xion.

"You came." Naminé stated in a voice that was almost impossible to read. Though, she'd intended false happiness, hiding her never-ending bitterness to Xion for what had happened to Zexion.  
"You wanted me?" Xion asked uncomfortably.  
"Yes." She said, "I wanted to know…"  
"I wasn't dating Zexion." Xion said quickly. Naminé blinked. "He was my guardian… because Axel denied the job to be your guardian."  
"Axel… did?" Naminé sighed, "I wasn't going to ask about Zexion…"  
"O-Oh..! I'm sorry." The fourteenth shook her head. "What did you want to know?"  
"Actually, I wanted to ask you… if you would take this…" She said, picking up a large book from under her cot.  
"Lexicon…" She whispered, reaching a hand to it. Before she could even touch it, she drew her hand back and shook her head. "That's your book now, Naminé."  
"I'll never let him go if I keep this." Said the memory manipulator. She knew it to be true, and she was _not _going to risk Axel for a memory.  
"That's good." She said, "A little piece of number six will live on… in that book."  
"But…"  
"Use it to its full extent, Naminé. There's a reason it didn't fade with him." The dark-haired nobody said, then vanishing into a dark portal. Naminé looked down to the book and felt a tear fall down her face. Could Zexion have really left it behind for her? The tear fell onto the book's cover.

"I'll never let you go… That's right…" She said, hugging the book tightly to her.  
"Aw, poor, poor Naminé!" Came a voice from behind her. The young blond spun around to see her worst nightmare…

Larxene.

* * *

"You think she'll really…?" Axel shook his head, looking at Roxas.  
"You've asked me that three times, Axel!" Said the thirteenth with a chuckle. He nudged Axel to the side with his elbow and took another bite of his sea-salt ice cream.

A long pause followed before either spoke again.

"It'll be just like old times, don't you think?" Said Axel.  
"Huh?"  
"Me, you, and Xion used to sit here all the time… Now maybe Naminé will join us." Axel said in a matter-of-fact tone. The sunset was making their faces glint orange, but Axel's cheeks seemed a little red.  
"Yo, Axel… You're blushing." Roxas said with a smirk.  
"I most certainly am _not_!" He laughed, pushing Roxas lightly. The two laughed as they watched the sunset and ate sea-salt ice cream.


	11. Chapter 10

FINALLY! The last chapter! :3  
I'm so happy I might just kick a chibi. :'D  
It's the tragic but sweet part of the story, and I hope you enjoy the last chapter of I Win.

**SONG: **Paramore - Decode

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts, or the characters included in the story from the series.

* * *

By the time Axel returned to his room, he noticed a note on his bed. He walked over and picked it up, raising an eyebrow curiously at the tan paper in his hand.

"_There has been a change in our organization's lineup. The following changes were established last night and shall be in full effect from this day, forward. _

_Number XII - Larxene  
__**Missing In Action**_

_Naminé  
__**Killed In Action**_

_Thank you for your tolerance. If there are any questions, please contact Number XIV.  
__~The Superior."_

"…_What_?!?" Axel exclaimed in his room, his eyes widened. Naminé, killed in action?! Larxene, _missing_? She had to have done it.

Naminé couldn't be dead. He wouldn't accept it! The note in his hand was instantly crumpled and incinerated, a dark portal quickly enveloping the angry male and bringing him to Naminé's room.

"Naminé!" He called, "Come out! This isn't funny!" He yelled, his voice showed signs of hysteria. He shook his head, his fists tightened in fear, anger… Emotions he wouldn't feel if he hadn't let himself fall for that stupid little blond.

No. He couldn't let himself think ill of her. This probably wasn't her fault, and now he knew it was obviously not a joke.

"Axel…" A calm, caring voice spoke from behind him.  
"Xion…" He replied, still turned away from her, on his knees on the white floor. "Please… shed some light on the situation. Tell me she's okay."  
"She's okay." Said Xion. Axel glared at her.  
"I wasn't just asking for an echo."  
"I'm not. She's okay, I can sense her life force… it's faint, so she's not in the castle. You better find her before someone else in the organization does." Said the fourteenth, crossing her arms calmly and nodding. What she said was totally true.  
"She's alive!?" He asked, slightly relieved, yet still worried over anything. "But why did the superior--?"  
"Xemnas lied in order to make the organization members believe something in their favor… I don't sense Larxene at all. I suspect that the information is backwards-- Naminé is the one missing, and Larxene was killed… but how?" She asked, sounding as if she knew the answer.  
Axel stood up and glared daggers in her direction.  
"Don't hide anything from me…" Said Number Eight.  
"You better go find her before the superior gets his hands on her… or Marluxia." She said. Axel simply nodded and made a portal to exit the castle.

* * *

Exploring the outskirts of Castle Oblivion, in the starry night's darkness, Axel looked around, trying desperately to see some form of light-- her dress, her skin, her hair… but to no avail. He just saw endless fields of green.

"Naminé…" Axel whispered, looking to the ground. "Come back. I know you're out there, I can… I can feel it…" He faltered in his speech and felt a warm stripe of liquid-- a tear, travel down his cheek. As soon as it reached mid-cheek, he saw two small, dainty feet with blue sandals approach him, and a soft finger wipe his cheek dry of the sadness and worry.  
"Shh…" Naminé's voice hushed him. "They can't know I'm alive…"  
"Na-Nami… né..?" He looked up at her and stared in shock, his eyes wide with his oncoming tears of joy. Naminé stopped him by giving him a quick hug, his head leaning on her shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her cold, tiny form and held her tightly, afraid to ever let go again.

"I killed Larxene." Naminé said. "Or at least sealed her away…"  
"How?" Axel asked, having large doubts in his mind that Naminé could manage to defeat Larxene.  
"I used the Lexicon… and trapped her." She said, "She came in the room, spouting all these threats about getting you turned into a dusk… and I…"  
"You mean you're in this situation… because of me..?" He realized.  
There was a long silence as his embrace on her loosened, but she pulled him closer.

"Yes… I am, but… I'm glad." She said, feeling Axel lace their fingers together, holding her hand.  
"We'll run away…" Axel said in a deep voice, looking in her eyes and holding her hands, breaking their embrace.  
"To where?" She asked.  
"Anywhere… We'll be together, away from the organization that binds us." The pyro's voice said, giving her a short but passionate kiss. She stared up into his eyes and nodded slowly.  
"Let's go…"  
"But before that…" Axel said, reaching in his pocket for something. Naminé looked at him curiously, still paranoid about being caught by the organization. The redhead then pulled something out of his pocket and looked down at her, scratching the back of his head.

"Naminé…" He spoke.  
"Yes..?" She replied.  
"I love you… I know it now. When I heard you were killed, I've never been more horrified… that's why I wanted to ask you…" He said, causing Naminé to tilt her head in curiosity.  
"It may seem ridiculous since we're… _Nobodies_, but…" He pulled out a small, black, velvet box. Naminé's eyes widened instantly, her mouth hung open in surprise.  
"Axel…" She whispered, chuckling softly and feeling her eyes burn with tears.  
"Naminé, will you… marry me?" He asked, his speech faltered slightly, but it was obvious he was trying to hide it. The small box opened to show a beautiful diamond ring-- nothing too expensive or classy, but something sweet. The young blond just covered her face with her hands and nodded, not knowing what to say. Tears fell down her cheeks and she smiled down at the emerald eyes that she'd fell so in love with. Axel let out a relieved laugh, putting the ring on her finger.  
"I love you too, Axel…" She said as he looked back up at her, their eyes meeting once more. He never wanted to look away. He got up from his knees, placing a hand on her cheek and kissing her deeply, his other arm pulled her closer.  
The girl kissed him back, placing her arms around his shoulders.

It wasn't long before they stopped, and Axel smirked and spoke at the same time as the manipulative blond.

"I win."

"I win…" They said simultaneously, and then they looked into each other's eyes, knowing that it was more then a game or a joke.

This _game_ was what brought them together…

Lacing their fingers together, they created a portal and vanished into the darkness to hide together, not needing anything but each other for the rest of their existence…


End file.
